Television: A shifting and highly-debated media field that does not only refer to distribution via television sets. Common features include serial programming and short (non-feature-length) format. Can be discussed according to TECHNICAL (production-based), FORMAL (conventions, structure, and aesthetics), SOCIAL (how people use and are reflected in television), and INDUSTRIAL (how television is framed in private and public sectors) characteristics.
Webisodes/Web series: Programming that is distributed entirely online.
WEEK 2: Complex and "Quality" Television / Field Cinematography
Complex Television: Jason Mittell argues that narratively complex television is a form of narrative TV that exhibits particular technical, formal, social, and industrial characteristics, including: TECHNICAL: Film-like production methods; FORMAL: "Series arc" stuctures, narrative devices, and continuity between episodes; SOCIAL: fan communities, creator/fan interaction, and virtual worlds within (and outside of) the show; INDUSTRY: High-cost but often caters to a niche audience, DVD and other "package" forms of distribution.
Quality Television: Television scholars often categorize as "quality" television programs that may have the following characteristics: have high production values, target an affluent or "upscale" audience, or share formal characteristics and methods of production with narrative feature films. It is not intended to be a subjective evaluation of content (e.g. "all the shows that I like are 'quality shows'").
Cinematography: The art of creating moving images.
Related terms: Camera angle:
Bird's eye/Aerial
High
Low
Camera movement:
PAN (left or right)
TILT (up or down)
CRANE (up or down)
TRACK (left, right, in, or out)
SWISH PAN (an extremely fast pan to a new subject)
Shot duration: The length of a single shot (complicated shots of long duration, or "long takes," are a hallmark of many quality television shows).
Lens effects:
DEPTH OF FIELD
FOCUS
PULL FOCUS
ZOOM (in or out)
LENS LENGTH: Long (telephoto), medium, wide
4 Rules of Observational Cinematography:
(1) Get closer!
(2) Hold on any given shot for ten full seconds.
(3) Don't stop recording.
(4) "Shoot with both eyes open." If you're using a video screen, think of it as a rear-view mirror. Glance at it frequently but keep your eyes on the world.
WEEK 3: Documentary and Reality TV / Lighting and Interviewing
Documentary Television:
*Remember the "documentary triangle": Subject -- Author -- Audience. How these three "points" interact helps us to determine what mode of documentary is being used.
Six Modes of Documentary:
(1) Poetic: A documentary format that does not necessarily "tell a story," but instead relies on evocative visuals drawn from the real world.
(2) Expository: Historical, educational, or informational documentary known primarily for its Voice of God narration.
(3) Observational: A "fly on the wall" style documentary in which the filmmaker does not directly interact with subjects.
(4) Participatory: Filmmakers are actively in dialogue with subjects through interview or other interaction.
(5) Reflexive: A documentary form that comments on the nature of documentary (references the process of making documentaries)
(6) Performative: A documentary that (like a reflexive documentary) explores the nature not of documentary form, but of the relationships between subjects and filmmakers. May include narrative vignettes or experimental techniques.
Reality TV: A contemporary form of documentary that "mixes up" many different modes of documentary filmmaking. In The Real World, there are poetic establishing shots, expository information about characters (in the opening credits), observational footage, participatory interviews (the "confessional"), and reflexive moments (as when a character addresses the intrusiveness of the camera).
The Roles of Reality Production
Network and executive producer -- the network "sets the rules" and executive producer often sparks the project, with funding or vision. Neither necessarily has a regular role in day-to-day production (in our class, we will not be "networks" or "executive producers").
(1) Supervising Producer: Responsible for the vision and "story" to be told in the show.
(2) Senior Story Producer: Creates the outlines for reality TV stories based on the vision of the higher producers.
(3) Story Producer: Creates the day-to-day script for a reality series.
(4) Field Producer: Coordinates and directs daily production.
(5) Associate Producer: Supporting role for Field Producer, often responsible for maintaining order on set.
(6) Story assist: Pulls relevant information from hours of documentary footage.
(7) Logger/Transcriber: Extensively organizes and documents every minute of documentary footage.
Three-Point Lighting for a Documentary Interview
(1) Key -- the main source of illumination.
(2) Fill -- the light that "fills in" remaining shadows
(3) Backlight/kicker -- a light source that creates a "halo" behind a subject's head.
An extra consideration: Background -- always account for the background of your shot
Tips for a Documentary Interview
-- Always be courteous and respectful. Uncomfortable interview subjects give poor interviews.
-- Make sure your subject repeats your question in their answer -- don't be afraid to ask them to do this explicitly!
-- Always ask follow-up questions that show you have been paying attention to your subject's responses.
-- Designate someone to track the entire interview for "pull quotes." This will make your editing job much easier.
WEEK 1: What Is Television?
Television: A shifting and highly-debated media field that does not only refer to distribution via television sets. Common features include serial programming and short (non-feature-length) format. Can be discussed according to TECHNICAL (production-based), FORMAL (conventions, structure, and aesthetics), SOCIAL (how people use and are reflected in television), and INDUSTRIAL (how television is framed in private and public sectors) characteristics.
Webisodes/Web series: Programming that is distributed entirely online.
WEEK 2: Complex and "Quality" Television / Field Cinematography
Complex Television: Jason Mittell argues that narratively complex television is a form of narrative TV that exhibits particular technical, formal, social, and industrial characteristics, including: TECHNICAL: Film-like production methods; FORMAL: "Series arc" stuctures, narrative devices, and continuity between episodes; SOCIAL: fan communities, creator/fan interaction, and virtual worlds within (and outside of) the show; INDUSTRY: High-cost but often caters to a niche audience, DVD and other "package" forms of distribution.
Quality Television: Television scholars often categorize as "quality" television programs that may have the following characteristics: have high production values, target an affluent or "upscale" audience, or share formal characteristics and methods of production with narrative feature films. It is not intended to be a subjective evaluation of content (e.g. "all the shows that I like are 'quality shows'").
Cinematography: The art of creating moving images.
Related terms:
Camera angle:
Bird's eye/Aerial
High
Low
Camera movement:
PAN (left or right)
TILT (up or down)
CRANE (up or down)
TRACK (left, right, in, or out)
SWISH PAN (an extremely fast pan to a new subject)
Shot duration: The length of a single shot (complicated shots of long duration, or "long takes," are a hallmark of many quality television shows).
Lens effects:
DEPTH OF FIELD
FOCUS
PULL FOCUS
ZOOM (in or out)
LENS LENGTH: Long (telephoto), medium, wide
4 Rules of Observational Cinematography:
(1) Get closer!
(2) Hold on any given shot for ten full seconds.
(3) Don't stop recording.
(4) "Shoot with both eyes open." If you're using a video screen, think of it as a rear-view mirror. Glance at it frequently but keep your eyes on the world.
WEEK 3: Documentary and Reality TV / Lighting and Interviewing
Documentary Television:
*Remember the "documentary triangle": Subject -- Author -- Audience. How these three "points" interact helps us to determine what mode of documentary is being used.
Six Modes of Documentary:
(1) Poetic: A documentary format that does not necessarily "tell a story," but instead relies on evocative visuals drawn from the real world.
(2) Expository: Historical, educational, or informational documentary known primarily for its Voice of God narration.
(3) Observational: A "fly on the wall" style documentary in which the filmmaker does not directly interact with subjects.
(4) Participatory: Filmmakers are actively in dialogue with subjects through interview or other interaction.
(5) Reflexive: A documentary form that comments on the nature of documentary (references the process of making documentaries)
(6) Performative: A documentary that (like a reflexive documentary) explores the nature not of documentary form, but of the relationships between subjects and filmmakers. May include narrative vignettes or experimental techniques.
Reality TV: A contemporary form of documentary that "mixes up" many different modes of documentary filmmaking. In The Real World, there are poetic establishing shots, expository information about characters (in the opening credits), observational footage, participatory interviews (the "confessional"), and reflexive moments (as when a character addresses the intrusiveness of the camera).
The Roles of Reality Production
Network and executive producer -- the network "sets the rules" and executive producer often sparks the project, with funding or vision. Neither necessarily has a regular role in day-to-day production (in our class, we will not be "networks" or "executive producers").
(1) Supervising Producer: Responsible for the vision and "story" to be told in the show.
(2) Senior Story Producer: Creates the outlines for reality TV stories based on the vision of the higher producers.
(3) Story Producer: Creates the day-to-day script for a reality series.
(4) Field Producer: Coordinates and directs daily production.
(5) Associate Producer: Supporting role for Field Producer, often responsible for maintaining order on set.
(6) Story assist: Pulls relevant information from hours of documentary footage.
(7) Logger/Transcriber: Extensively organizes and documents every minute of documentary footage.
Three-Point Lighting for a Documentary Interview
(1) Key -- the main source of illumination.
(2) Fill -- the light that "fills in" remaining shadows
(3) Backlight/kicker -- a light source that creates a "halo" behind a subject's head.
An extra consideration: Background -- always account for the background of your shot
Tips for a Documentary Interview
-- Always be courteous and respectful. Uncomfortable interview subjects give poor interviews.
-- Make sure your subject repeats your question in their answer -- don't be afraid to ask them to do this explicitly!
-- Always ask follow-up questions that show you have been paying attention to your subject's responses.
-- Designate someone to track the entire interview for "pull quotes." This will make your editing job much easier.